Airedale soccer teams prepping 2024 season
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Both Alma soccer teams are three weeks shy of starting the 2024 spring season.
Both teams open with Dardanelle on Feb. 22.
Alma will host Prairie Grove and Magnolia on Feb. 26 and March 2, respectively.
Coach Cory Sturdivant’s teams open 5A-West play on March 8 at Harrison.
We usually do a lot of scrimmages in practice and stuff,” Alma senior Maddoux Judkins said. “We’ve been working on moving around, working well together, and communicating. We’re just really looking forward to the season.”
Judkins is among a handful of seniors including Kolby Adams, Mason Bray, Julian Davila, Carlos Gonzalez, Matthew McCarver, Kaydin Minshull, Donald Mulligan, and Marcelino Rodriguez.
While the boys’ roster has some senior experience, the Lady Airedales’ senior roster has but a handful of upperclassmen.
“Our team has come a long way from where we were during the summer and off-season,” senior Abbi Cater said. “(But) we’ve had a lot of difficulties to overcome because we have such a young team. We have a lot of freshmen, so we’re having to take them in and nurture them.
“Overall, I think our team has come pretty far. We’re excited to start the season.”
Along with Cater, Alma’s senior group includes Julie Guth, Lexi Julian, Alexis Rayburn, and Thea Rosander.
Junior High
The Alma ninth-grade girls and boys basketball teams are currently on the brink of earning a berth in the conference tournament.
Chase Wood scored six early points as part of an 11-0 scoring burst to power Alma to a 51-33 win over Siloam Springs Thursday at Crabtree Gym. The Airedales (19-2, 8-0) can clinch the top seed with a win over on Farmington Monday.
Van Buren is currently in second place (two games back), and Farmington is in third place.
Cade Moore led Alma with 14 points and four rebounds. Luke Stogsdill added 11 points.
Carson Curd had six points and five of Alma’s season-best 16 assists. Drake Ciampoli, Lawson Adams, and Julian Spears had two assists each.
Coach Angela Rushing’s ninth-grade Lady Airedales got 14 points from Faith Sartor as Alma rallied to defeat Siloam Springs Thursday, 38-28.
Anna Swarnes and Olivia Hughes finished with nine and eight points, respectively, and Maddie Dunn had six.
Madie House and Jaeli Morris scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, to power the Alma eighth-grade girls’ team to a 43-9 victory. Chloe Kovalck and Grayce Routt finished with five and four points, respectively.
The Alma eighth-grade boys team fell to Siloam Springs Thursday, 44-37. Barron Daily and Carson Hamilton led the way with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Jack Taylor and Brennan Gwinn had five and four points for the Airedales.
Alma’s seventh-grade boys won, 36-26. Titus Benson had 12 points to lead the Airedales. Nate Risley and David Atherton finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Football
Alma athletic director Doug Loughridge has been named the head football coach at Siloam Springs. The Siloam Springs School Board made the decision Thursday night.
Loughridge, 50, took over as Alma’s football coach in December of 2012 following a stellar run at Charleston, where he compiled a 68-9 record in six seasons as the Tigers’ coach. He won two state titles with his Alma mater.
Loughridge then spent the next seven seasons coaching the Airedales, where he compiled a 48-36 mark. Loughridge is the second longest-tenured Alma football coach, just ahead of D.C. Neal (1931-36) and Todd Dillbeck (2007-2012).
Alma and Siloam Springs recently renewed their two-year contract for football games in 2024-25. The teams meet this September at Panther Stadium.
Bowling
Alma senior Zach Martin and junior Sheppard Osborn bowled a 516 and 504, respectively, at the 5A conference meet in Texarkana. Alma finished sixth overall.
Both punched their tickets to the state meet next week in Jonesboro.
Eli Waldrop bowled a 493 and is a first alternate.
Alma’s Maddy Click bowled a 373 and earned a berth in the state tournament.